Memorial Day weekend...lazy, hot and together!

I don't have much to say about this weekend because we really didn't do much.  I caught up with an out-of-town friend, had to fix a flat tire, but basically spent the weekend cuddling and enjoying the nonstop time with Garrett. Even when the house felt like it had reached 10,000 degrees, and he woke up sweaty and cranky with that damn molar (i think there are two coming in on the same side!) bugging him, and only wanting to stay clinging to me, I still relished it. 


Garrett is proving to be a good sidekick.  On Monday, after spending the morning in our pjs playing, I had to spend part of the afternoon getting a tire fixed after having the unfortunate luck of finding a screw buried in the tread. Garrett came with me as we waited in Sears, and I kept him plied with cheerios and milk. It was hot, sticky, and neither one of us had reason to be happy but we were together, and that alone made it fun.  

PJ playtime with my blocks

Blocks are for playing AND munching

Awaiting mommy's tire to be done

Any more cheerios in this tray?

Are we done YET?

This book was interesting but my nap was better.

Post nap snack--graham cracker!

Mama Bear, meet Baby Boo.

I've determined that Saturdays are 'catch up' days for G.  While I know he has gotten into a better, consistent schedule at daycare, especially when it comes to napping, I've noticed that on Saturdays, he seems to just let go and allow himself to relax.  And by relax I mean take long naps.  As in, two, two and a half hour naps. Wowee.  The downside, he wakes up at 6:30am, rarin' to go, whether I am or not. 

So this morning when he and I came downstairs, this huge bear was awaiting us, propped up on the dining room table, wearing the Bates College hat that I had bought Terry yesterday.  The hat looked puny compared to this bear.  G stared at the bear, a mix of awe and eager anticipation, and then looked at Gabby to make sure she hadn't suddenly changed form into some looming large fuzzy creature. 

We waited until Daddy woke up and then made the introduction. At first it was very tentative.  After all, the bear is nearly double the size of G, and probably slightly intimidating.  So he teased us by getting close, then backing away, looking at us almost for permission.  And then he extended a hand, touching the fuzzy soft fur...deciding that he liked it.  And then...well, it was full on abandon.  Like a mama bear protecting her young, this bear seemed to envelop Garrett as if she was real.  Truly a Kodak moment. Or in my case, Iphone.

Later on this afternoo, G and I met up with a friend who was in town for the weekend at a favorite Brunswick spot---Gelato Fiasco. G had his first taste of strawberry rhubarb sorbetto--a true summer flavor...mixed with some toasted coconut. No, really, it made a delish combo.  I did like how he wrinkled his nose after each tart taste of the sorbetto, but then he kept going "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" which roughly translates to "give me more NOW."      Sweet for my sweet.

I'm a little unsure about this.

Oooh kinda soft tho.

Maybe I should plan a getaway?

Still nice and soft...maybe not so bad

Yep, this is the life.




Peanut Butter and Giraffe's Tails.

So tonight we crossed another big milestone.  The introduction to....*drumroll* peanut butter! PB is one of those things that you spend the entire first year of parenthood simultaneously wondering about and dreading.  Will he have an allergic reaction? Will it get stuck in his hair, be impossible to clean, thus forcing an impromptu 'first' haircut? Will he hate it? Will his baby lips get sealed shut from the stickiness? OR...will he squeal with delight, and smack his lips in anticipation of the next bite, followed by a decent swig of milk?

Suffice to say, the event was rather anticlimatic, which was actually ok because it meant that he was not heading into anaphylactic shock.  He actually did smack his lips a little as he was chewing which was rather adorable.

Meanwhile, bedtime has become a bittersweet event. Garrett is at the age where he should be developing interest in a 'lovey'.  You know, that blankie, toy, animal, or, as my oldest niece calls her blanket, "Beedus", that little ones get attached to and you need to make sure you always have one in circulation when the other is in the wash or in the car, etc.   He hasn't become really attached to anything,(or he's just attached to everything!) that is, except for this one giraffe we call Geoffrey.  It's not just the giraffe that he loves, it's the tail. Every single night he holds that giraffe by its itty bitty tail, sometimes sucks on it, and clutches it as he drifts off into slumber. Strange.  He also does this with a tiger he has that we call Bumpkins.  Goes straight for the tail. 

It's odd what babies are drawn and latch on to.  But the reason why this is the highlight of my day isn't because of his giraffe or tiger.  It's because he's at the age where when he's really tired, and I'm reading him bedtime stories, and we're snuggling in the rocker, he really does snuggle. Unlike when he was the baby-blob and every time I held him was snuggling, this is different because he's old enough to know I'm momma, and he tucks his head under my chin, his arms clutched close to his chest, and he just relaxes completely.  I love it.  When we're done with stories, he always flops his head on my shoulder, thumb in his mouth and that's when I know it's sleepytime.  While it's hard to be away from him all day, those precious moments at bedtime are my most favorite and what I look forward to all day.

The Par-tay.

Garrett's first birthday celebration extravaganza has officially come and gone.  A couple weeks following his actual birthday, we held his birthday party this past Sunday, surrounded by family and close friends.  Who doesn't love to celebrate an entire month instead of just one day, weekend or even week? What can I say, it's just how we roll.

In contemplating where we should hold this par-tay, several options came to mind. A pre-summer Bbq?  A park? Grammie and Grampie's house?  None of those seemed quite right.  First, given that the entire month of May has been pretty dismal, a bbq seemed out of the question right away.  Besides, for one reason or another, I do not come from a family of 'pet people', so to stress out and worry about where to keep our beloved Gabby throughout the day if it turned out to be crummy weather was something I didn't want to deal with on top of everything else.  Same goes for a park--rain seems to be the word of the month so forget someplace like Wolfe's Neck.  And Grammie's house? Well, my folks had just returned from a two week Euro vacation and given that I wanted some of Garrett's buddies (and ours too!) to attend, it just didn't seem like the place.

Then it occurred to me.  The Rumpus Room! What? Where?  Yes! The Rumpus Room--a terrific indoor play place for kiddoes 0-6years old right in downtown Brunswick.  And they do parties.  It was awesome.  The perfect place for kids of our guests ages to explore, run around, enjoy and let off some steam.  It was so fun.  Grammie and Grampie came up, as well as Aunt Meara, Uncle Asim and cousins, Hannah and Leah.  Garrett's 'brothah of anothah mothah', Nolan, and his parents, my preggo twin Annie and her hubby Joe; Garrett's idol (although he doesn't quite know it yet) Marcus, and his parents, Megan and Chris.  Just the right size crowd for our little one year old to handle.  


Garrett had his first taste of pizza. Loved.it.  What did he love more? CAKE! And the helium balloons. Particularly the one that looks remarkably like his elmo doll.  It was a great day and I'm thankful to my friends and family who shared in this special event with us.  After all, you only get the first birthday one time!

The Birthday Table.

My mom cross-stitched this awesome piece for us.

Peek-a-boo! Through the pirate's ship

This kid loves a good ball pit.

Grampie and Boo. Special friends.

Trying some pizza. Yup, it's delish.

Check out this cool shark hat my Auntie gave me!

My buddy Marcus is trying to show me how to love these trains!

And I'm off! Exploring...

The Cake.

Deeelish.

And I'm back to the ball pit!

Who's ready to catch?

I love it in here. How did that train get there?

Nolan came to join me!

Looooooooove this.

Love cake even more.

I love my cousins!

Food. Books. Friends.

Last night, I got to experience something that feels rare these days.  An evening spent with some fellow moms and our babes, discussing a book that we had all read, with the author who wrote it.  How often does that happen? It started out a little iffy mainly because Major Crankypants was in the house. I had raced home from work, quickly packed his dinner, and back in the car we went to my friend's house that was hosting.  Of course, with so much to lug inside, including him, I had to put him down at some point to get his highchair seat.  And he lost it.  Of course, he appears to also be cutting his molars, so he is NOT happy.  It seemed like an eternity before I could get him situated, comfortable and with food. Then, as if a switch turned off, he was fine.  And then he became Mr. Charmer.  Typical. :)

Our evening was awesome.  Not only did we have meaningful, rich conversation, but we got to know this author and discover more insight to certain events in the book.  I think what was most inspiring to me was the fact that I was surrounded by such amazing women, our children contently playing, chatting, entertaining themselves among us, and there was such comfort, warmth, and genuine comraderie.  This because in one way or another we all related to the book on some level. 

The bottom line? There's just something really special about being in a group of women who can so comfortably get together and have such rich dialogue, after dealing with all the distractions and stresses of our days.  Finally, nearing 9:30pm, we reluctantly called it a night--I think because our babes were waaaaay past their bedtimes and it was beginning to take its toll.  We filed out of the house, each going our separate ways, whether that was just across town or to Portland as in the author's case or Lewiston as was for someone else.   What an emotional high.

For more information on this incredible book or to see where the author will next give a reading, please visit: Caitlin Shetterly, Author

The One Year Appointment: Intro to Cow's Milk

So yesterday was a big day for us.  It was Garrett's one year doc appointment. One year! It's almost as big as his birthday. This is the appointment where you find out not only his stats in terms of height and weight...but it's where you get all the questions answered that you've had churning in your brain since the 9 month appointment (can he try strawberries? what about citrus?  fish? and of course...MILK!)

First, I have to say, I love our pediatrician.  With every visit, she makes us feel like we're the best parents in the world and that we have the most perfect kid.  Ok, maybe we haven't quite reached the distinct honor of being the first, but I have to concur with the second.  And while she probably makes every new parent couple feel that way, what I love is that she is so validating with how we've taken care of Garrett so far, it makes me feel like we somewhat know what we're doing. :) 

Unfortunately, this appointment also had a few dreaded shots, including the first of the chickenpox vaccine. But first, the weights and measures! It's astounding that at birth, Master G weighed 9lbs 1 oz and was 22.5 inches long.  He now weighs 22lbs 8 oz and is 29 inches long.  Ah-mazing.  Oh, and his big noggin continues to overachieve by being in the 90th percentile at a whopping 19 inches.

So my biggest question going in was all about weaning off the bottle to milk.  For some reason, I'd worked this up to be a daunting task to be feared.  I felt the same way when I decided to switch to formula from nursing around the 7 month mark.  But Dr. L explained how to do it, what to expect, and made it sound like it was nothing at all to be worried about.  I couldn't wait to try it that night. 

After a very trying afternoon that resulted in several naps, (yep, that's right, several. I blame the shots) and Garrett turning into his alter-ego, Major Fussypants, I decided to give him milk with his dinner.  And true to Garrett form, he transitioned beautifully---relieving my worry and fear and simply going with it.  I love this kid.

The allusive milk sits untouched, awaiting the first sip.

We aren't sure what we're waving at here, but it's not the milk.

Ah yes, the first sip...I think I like it. 

Yep. I do.  It's delish. If only I had one of those cupcake things mommy gave me not long ago.

Which brings us to today---what was I going to do? Do we try it so soon, just throwing it all at him and hope for the best? I kept the morning 'wake up' bottle the same...but gave him milk with breakfast, milk throughout the day, while we were grocery shopping, and then ended with his regular bed time bottle.  Will it always be this easy? 

We ended the evening very busy---introducing some blocks and really seeing him enjoy playing.  If there's one thing we know about G, he loves his blocks and trucks. :)

Happy Mother's Day

Every once and awhile, along comes a day that is so perfect, you just don't want it to end.  I can't believe we've had two weekends in a row that have been like that for us.  Today was Mother's Day...and of course Terry's one day off with the both of us.  We like to make it count, especially when the weather is nice. And after all, this is Maine.  Last weekend was Camden.  Today was Damariscotta and Pemaquid Point.  And this time, we brought the Gabs!

We left around mid morning, among clouds and hoped that as we headed north, it would get sunnier.  Had a late breakfast in Damariscotta, then headed to the Colonial Pemaquid fort area, where there's an awesome rocky 'beach' that Gabs adores.  That dog needed to run badly.  She chased the ball until she was exhausted. Mission accomplished.

Then it was off to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse...another great thing about Maine---there always seems to be a lighthouse within reach. And so the four of us found a spot and flopped on the grass to appreciate the views.  Earlier, Terry had stopped in Reny's and bought Garrett his first giant ball.  Suffice to say, he LOVED it.  You know what else he loved? His first taste of blueberry ice cream.   

Whoa. What's THIS?

I think I'm gonna like this!

Do ya like my hat?

Yep I can stand with it.

Who's watching???

Hi Gabs!

I'm determined!

Got it!

Now what?

Unfortunately, the fog rolled in, and before we could no longer see the ocean or the lighthouse, we packed it in.  I wish these days could go on forever...too soon it's 8pm on a Sunday night and while Boo is tucked away safely in dreamland, we're both dreading the inevitability that is Monday morning and work.  But summer is almost here...and we are dreaming of introducing Garrett to our most favorite places.

Our tired puppy snuggling with her bone.